The American Diary of a Japanese Girl
Encyclopedia
The American Diary of a Japanese Girl is the first English novel published in the United States
by a person of Japanese ancestry. Acquired for Frank Leslie's Illustrated Monthly Magazine by editor Ellery Sedgwick
in 1901, it appeared in two excerpted installments in November and December of that year with illustrations by Genjiro Yeto. In 1902, it was published in book form by the New York firm of Frederick A. Stokes
. Marketed as (and believed, with some doubts, to be) an authentic diary by an 18-year-old visitor to the United States named "Miss Morning Glory" (Asagao), it was in actuality the work of Yone Noguchi
, who wrote it with the editorial assistance of Blanche Partington
and Léonie Gilmour
.
The book describes Morning Glory's preparations, activities and observations as she undertakes her transcontinental American journey with her uncle, a wealthy mining executive. Arriving in San Francisco by steamship, they stay briefly at the Palace Hotel
before moving to a "high-toned boarding house" in Nob Hill. Through the American wife of the Japanese consul, Morning Glory befriends Ada, a denizen of Van Ness Avenue with a taste for coon songs, who introduces her to Golden Gate Park
and vaudeville
and is in turn initiated by Morning Glory in the ways of kimono
. Morning Glory briefly takes over proprietorship of a cigar store on the edge of San Francisco Chinatown before moving to the rustic Oakland home of an eccentric local poet named Heine (a character based on Joaquin Miller
). After some days there spent developing her literary skills and a romantic interest with local artist Oscar Ellis, and a brief excursion to Los Angeles
, she departs with her uncle for Chicago
and New York
, continuing, along the way, her satirical observations on various aspects of American life and culture. The novel closes with Morning Glory's declared intention to continue her investigations into American life by taking a job as a domestic servant, thus preparing the way for a sequel.
Noguchi had in fact already written the sequel, The American Letters of a Japanese Parlor-Maid, at the time of the American Diary 's publication, but Stokes, citing lackluster sales, declined to publish the sequel, thus obliging Noguchi to defer publication until his return to Japan in 1904. There, Tokyo publisher Fuzanbo issued a new edition of The American Diary of a Japanese Girl (this time under Noguchi's own name, with an appendix documenting the book's history) as well as The American Letters of a Japanese Parlor-Maid (1905), published with a preface by Tsubouchi Shoyo
. Another publisher issued Noguchi's Japanese translation of The American Diary of a Japanese Girl under the title 邦文日本少女の米國日記 in 1905. In 1912, Fuzanbo published a new edition of The American Diary with a fold-out illustration (kuchi-e) by ukiyoe artist Eiho Hirezaki, which was also sold under the imprint of London publisher and bookseller Elkin Mathews. In 2007, The American Diary of a Japanese Girl was reissued in an annotated edition by Temple University Press.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by a person of Japanese ancestry. Acquired for Frank Leslie's Illustrated Monthly Magazine by editor Ellery Sedgwick
Ellery Sedgwick
Ellery Sedgwick was an American editor, brother of Henry Dwight Sedgwick.-Early life:He was born in New York City to Henry Dwight Sedgwick II and Henrietta Ellery , grand daughter of William Ellery...
in 1901, it appeared in two excerpted installments in November and December of that year with illustrations by Genjiro Yeto. In 1902, it was published in book form by the New York firm of Frederick A. Stokes
Frederick A. Stokes
Frederick A. Stokes was an eponymous American publishing company. Stokes was a graduate of Yale Law School. He had previously worked for Dodd, Mead and Company and then briefly had partnerships with others before founding his company in 1890....
. Marketed as (and believed, with some doubts, to be) an authentic diary by an 18-year-old visitor to the United States named "Miss Morning Glory" (Asagao), it was in actuality the work of Yone Noguchi
Yone Noguchi
Yone Noguchi, or Yonejirō Noguchi, born 野口 米次郎 / Noguchi Yonejirō , was an influential Japanese writer of poetry, fiction, essays, and literary criticism in both English and Japanese. He was the father of the sculptor Isamu Noguchi.-Early life:Noguchi was born in the town of Tsushima, near Nagoya...
, who wrote it with the editorial assistance of Blanche Partington
Blanche Partington
Blanche Partington was a prominent San Francisco journalist and member of the San Francisco Bay Area literary and cultural scene...
and Léonie Gilmour
Léonie Gilmour
Léonie Gilmour was an American educator, editor, and journalist. She was the lover and editor of the writer Yone Noguchi and the mother of sculptor Isamu Noguchi and dancer Ailes Gilmour...
.
The book describes Morning Glory's preparations, activities and observations as she undertakes her transcontinental American journey with her uncle, a wealthy mining executive. Arriving in San Francisco by steamship, they stay briefly at the Palace Hotel
Palace Hotel, San Francisco
The Palace Hotel is a landmark historic hotel in San Francisco, California, located at the SW corner of Market and New Montgomery streets. Also referred to as the "New" Palace Hotel to distinguish it from the original 1875 Palace Hotel that it was built to replace, the present...
before moving to a "high-toned boarding house" in Nob Hill. Through the American wife of the Japanese consul, Morning Glory befriends Ada, a denizen of Van Ness Avenue with a taste for coon songs, who introduces her to Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park, located in San Francisco, California, is a large urban park consisting of of public grounds. Configured as a rectangle, it is similar in shape but 20% larger than Central Park in New York, to which it is often compared. It is over three miles long east to west, and about half a...
and vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
and is in turn initiated by Morning Glory in the ways of kimono
Kimono
The is a Japanese traditional garment worn by men, women and children. The word "kimono", which literally means a "thing to wear" , has come to denote these full-length robes...
. Morning Glory briefly takes over proprietorship of a cigar store on the edge of San Francisco Chinatown before moving to the rustic Oakland home of an eccentric local poet named Heine (a character based on Joaquin Miller
Joaquin Miller
Joaquin Miller was the pen name of the colorful American poet Cincinnatus Heine Miller , nicknamed the "Poet of the Sierras".-Early years and family:...
). After some days there spent developing her literary skills and a romantic interest with local artist Oscar Ellis, and a brief excursion to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, she departs with her uncle for Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, continuing, along the way, her satirical observations on various aspects of American life and culture. The novel closes with Morning Glory's declared intention to continue her investigations into American life by taking a job as a domestic servant, thus preparing the way for a sequel.
Noguchi had in fact already written the sequel, The American Letters of a Japanese Parlor-Maid, at the time of the American Diary 's publication, but Stokes, citing lackluster sales, declined to publish the sequel, thus obliging Noguchi to defer publication until his return to Japan in 1904. There, Tokyo publisher Fuzanbo issued a new edition of The American Diary of a Japanese Girl (this time under Noguchi's own name, with an appendix documenting the book's history) as well as The American Letters of a Japanese Parlor-Maid (1905), published with a preface by Tsubouchi Shoyo
Tsubouchi Shoyo
__NoTOC__ was a Japanese author, critic, playwright, translator, editor, educator, and professor at Waseda University. He was born Tsubouchi Yūzō , in Gifu prefecture...
. Another publisher issued Noguchi's Japanese translation of The American Diary of a Japanese Girl under the title 邦文日本少女の米國日記 in 1905. In 1912, Fuzanbo published a new edition of The American Diary with a fold-out illustration (kuchi-e) by ukiyoe artist Eiho Hirezaki, which was also sold under the imprint of London publisher and bookseller Elkin Mathews. In 2007, The American Diary of a Japanese Girl was reissued in an annotated edition by Temple University Press.